Maha MH C808M Charger

[BVH]

TMG, the 808 is quite different. Because its made to charge the larger C and D cells also, (near the top of the charger) there's tons of room/spacing between AA's & AAA's at the bottom of the charger. If, however, you were charging C's or D's, you might have the same issue. Don't have any so have not tried. Must admit, the AA's look lost way down there in the bottom of the charger. Look at the dimensions of both. The 808 is quite a bit bigger. The more mass/surface area/space between cells probably results in better cooling.

 

[TooManyGizmos]

TMG, the 808 is quite different. Because its made to charge the larger C and D cells also, (near the top of the charger) there's tons of room/spacing between AA's & AAA's at the bottom of the charger. If, however, you were charging C's or D's, you might have the same issue. Don't have any so have not tried. Must admit, the AA's look lost way down there in the bottom of the charger. Look at the dimensions of both. The 808 is quite a bit bigger. The more mass/surface area/space between cells probably results in better cooling.

Now i'm thinkin........'wish i'd paid $30 more & got the 808 .............even tho I don't need the C & D ability .

But NO ...........maybe on the other hand.........I'll call em and ask " HEY - why the design flaw ? ?

The technical spec's looked good , but ya can't know about some stuff ..... till ya get it :mecry:


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[jclarksnakes]

Well, I hope I did not screw up. I just ordered the 801.

jc

 

[SilverFox]

Hello John,

I have not tested the Ansmann Energy 16 charger, but the specifications indicate that it is capable of charging 9V batteries, where the Maha C808M is not. Charging C or D sized cells, the Ansmann will only do 6 cells at a time, where the Maha will do 8. Another difference is the charging rates. The Ansmann charger will take roughly 20 hours to charge a 10000 mAh D cell, where the Maha will only take about 7 hours.

I don't know what current the Ansmann uses for trickle charging, but the Maha's very low trickle charge current is easy on your cells.

Tom

 

[SilverFox]

Hello TooManyGizmos,

During my testing, I did several charge cycles with 1000 mAh, 1200 mAh and 1500 mAh AA cells, charging at the fast rate (2.0 Amps). I also tested some 600 mAh AAA cells at the fast rate. I did not encounter any battery heating problems at all and all these lower capacity cells charged without problems.

I still think it is prudent to remember the Maha warning, but they may be being a bit conservative...

Edit to add... I have experienced no problems removing any sized cells from the C808M charging bay. There can be some difficulties in getting AAA cells properly inserted, but after you do it a few times, it is not that difficult at all. On the C808M, the key seems to be to insert the - end first, then snap the + end in. Upon removing the cells, you remove the + end first and the cell pops out. There is ample room between AA and AA cells to grab the whole cell and pull it out. C and D cells sit above the top plane of the charger, so they are also easy to install and remove.

Tom

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Ben,

Heat destroys NiMh cells. Charging above 1C can generate heat, however it is possible to do it with an advanced charging algorithm. The bottom line is that if the cells heat up, slow down the charge rate... unless you are involved in RC racing.

Tom

 

[TooManyGizmos]

Hello TooManyGizmos,

During my testing, I did several charge cycles with 1000 mAh, 1200 mAh and 1500 mAh AA cells, charging at the fast rate (2.0 Amps). I also tested some 600 mAh AAA cells at the fast rate. I did not encounter any battery heating problems at all and all these lower capacity cells charged without problems.

I still think it is prudent to remember the Maha warning, but they may be being a bit conservative...

Edit to add... I have experienced no problems removing any sized cells from the C808M charging bay. There can be some difficulties in getting AAA cells properly inserted, but after you do it a few times, it is not that difficult at all. On the C808M, the key seems to be to insert the - end first, then snap the + end in. Upon removing the cells, you remove the + end first and the cell pops out. There is ample room between AA and AA cells to grab the whole cell and pull it out. C and D cells sit above the top plane of the charger, so they are also easy to install and remove.

Tom

Thank you SilverFox , I am returning my 801 model & getting the 808m model that you reviewed . I will make a seperate new post about the MaHa MH C801D issues .





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[john2551]

Hello John,

I have not tested the Ansmann Energy 16 charger, but the specifications indicate that it is capable of charging 9V batteries, where the Maha C808M is not. Charging C or D sized cells, the Ansmann will only do 6 cells at a time, where the Maha will do 8. Another difference is the charging rates. The Ansmann charger will take roughly 20 hours to charge a 10000 mAh D cell, where the Maha will only take about 7 hours.

I don't know what current the Ansmann uses for trickle charging, but the Maha's very low trickle charge current is easy on your cells.

Tom

Tom,

My next charger will be the MH-C808M, especially for my CTA 12000mAh D cells!

Thanks,

John

 

[Ben H]

You'll love it John! I just got the 808 with some CTA C & D cells. I love the 2 amp charge rate of the 808. I don't know why there aren't more chargers that charge at a higher rate.

 

[wptski]

Tom:

You and your darn reviews! I'll have mine on 1/20/06. :wave:

 

[wptski]

Tom:

What brand of ruler did you use to measure the size of the MH-C808M? :nana: Before I ordered, I had just the spot for it! I opened the box. A bit more than 7.5"!!

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Bill,

Thomas Distributing lists dimensions for the charger as 12.63" X 5.25" X 3", that is about what mine comes in at. You have to add about an inch when you plug the power supply cord in... and of course there is the size of the power supply at 5.125" X 2.25" X 1.18", but I put that down on the floor.

Yours (at 7.5") must have been stepped on during shipping... :nana:

Tom

 

[wptski]

Hello Bill,

Thomas Distributing lists dimensions for the charger as 12.63" X 5.25" X 3", that is about what mine comes in at. You have to add about an inch when you plug the power supply cord in... and of course there is the size of the power supply at 5.125" X 2.25" X 1.18", but I put that down on the floor.

Yours (at 7.5") must have been stepped on during shipping... :nana:

Tom

Tom:

You got that backwards! Look at your dimensions in the first post. That's where I got the 7.5" from!!

 

[wptski]

Here a picture of the charger in action:

Pulses are very small, 114mv. I looked at one their early pulse chargers, a C210 and the pulse are about 500mv.

EDIT: Replaced picture with a closer look and more accurate reading.

 

[jclarksnakes]

...I got my Maha C801D today. My multimeter and it's battery test function says my Powatech 2300 and 2500 NIMH AAs are coming off this charger much better charged than they were coming off my Powa 888 charger. As was previously mentioned the little battery icons on the display are hard to read unless you get your eyes in line with the angle the display is facing. It would be nice if the display was larger for us older folks.
...Problems removing AA batteries from this charger??? I find that it works to pop AA batteries out of the charger using my thumbnail at the positive end of the battery like a wedge between the end of the battery and the charger. Forcing my thumbnail in between the end of the battery and the charger very slightly compresses the spring contact at the negative end and then the positive end can be easily levered out with the thumbnail. It is really easier than it sounds but may be difficult for someone with real short thumbnails. IMO if you do not have C or D cells to charge and you have a stout thumbnail this charger is the way to go.
jc

 

[wptski]

After reading the review I thought that I'd have problems removing or inserting AA cells. I had no problem at all. I just used the same procedure that I've always used on all my chargers. Insert negative end first and push the positive end in. Just reverse to remove. No problem here!

Yes, the LCD icons could have been bigger and bolder.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Bill,

Oops, I was giving the dimentions of the C801D. It is smaller. I have fixed the first post.

Thanks.

Tom

 

[SilverFox]

Hello JC,

I am glad you figured out a way to get the AA cells out, have you tried any AAA cells?

Tom

 

[jclarksnakes]

Tom,
....Yes, I have charged AAAs with it and they are not quite as tight a fit between the contacts and are easy to get out just pulling on the positive end of the battery with index finger fringernail. Thanks for the work you have put into doing these reviews of chargers for us.
jc

 

[wptski]

Tom:

I used a Fluke 54-II dual input thermometer with two bead K-type probes which has been checked against a lab grade therometer, wrapped several turns around two Duracell 2300mAh cells. In soft mode I get a max of 105F and in regular mode I get 117F. Way cooler than any charger that I've checked but much higher than your 96F reading. Readings agree with a IR temperature probe too.